Comatose Struck Shahzaib Bajwa’s Family Fighting to Keep Him Alive in USA

Muhammad Shahzaib Bajwa is a 20 years old Pakistani student who went to University of Wisconsin-Superior for spending one semester in an exchange program. He was studying anthropology and sociology.

On 13th of November 2013, he along with his friends was driving back to University from Minneapolis, when their car had an accident with a deer.

Shahzaib Bajwa suffered a lot of facial injuries because deer’s antlers pierced into his face. His nose was also broken. Although he was able to speak when he arrived to a hospital in Cloquet yet he went into a cardiac arrest. He was saved from cardiac arrest and transferred to Essentia Health-St Mary’s Medical Center where he remains in coma.

Doctors informed the family that in order for them to know how much more time he will take to recover, will take at least a couple of more years.

Shahzaib’s brother Shahraiz told the media that his family had very limited means and their mother was a widow. He raised the question that whether his brother will survive the 24 hours flight and even if he survives it, whether he will receive quality medical care in Pakistan?

Shahraiz said,

Some of the US doctors are very positive about his recovery, saying he is young and intelligent. Sending him back to Pakistan would be pushing him off the cliff

Maureen Talarico, Essentia Spokesperson informed that hospital could not be allowed to keep Shahzaib beyond 28th of February as his visa to stay in United States will be expired.

A lawyer for Shahzaib’s family, Saiko McIvor said that she was hopeful that an agreement could be reached so that Shahzaib Bajwa could be issued a new visa or can get his visa extended beyond February 28th 2014.

Shahraiz told the media that his family was under a “Huge Stress” and things were tightening around his family and situation seems to be getting worse.

Shahraiz further told that insurance company was pressing the family hard to sign off so that Shahzaib could be returned to Pakistan and was informing them that once his visa runs out, they will not pay for evacuation costs if the family refuses.

Shahraiz said that

My mother is not going to sign because that would be like killing her son with her own hand